Todd and Angela Donalson ’90 have always had a connection to Illinois State University, but it wasn’t until the passing of Todd’s mother, Marilyn Sams, M.S. ’87, that they decided to take that connection one step forward by creating the Marilyn Sams Memorial College of Education Endowed Scholarship Fund.

Sams’ passion for the world of education began when she was a college student at Abilene Christian University and local schools would call her residence hall looking for students interested in substitute teaching. From there, this passion only continued to grow, and soon, the California native found herself in Normal where she raised her family and taught fourth grade at Brigham Elementary School.

During her time as an educator, Sams’ dedication to her students was clear. She advocated for hands-on learning and created an environment where students could apply what they learned to real-life scenarios—something she discovered while pursuing her master’s degree at Illinois State.

Sams passed away in late 2021, but her legacy continues to live on not only in the students she taught and inspired, but also through the scholarship fund her son Todd and daughter-in-law Angela created in her honor.

“My mom was a life-long learner who was also passionate about sharing her experience with others,” Todd Donalson said. “Her peers often referred to her as the ‘science guru,’ in part because she was so willing to share her knowledge about the best methods for teaching science in hopes that it would inspire them to become better teachers. In today’s world, where the cost of a college education is out of reach for some aspiring teachers, it’s nice to be able to provide a little bit of support to those interested in making an impact as big as my mom did.”

With this scholarship, Todd and Angela hope to be able to support and inspire the next generation of educators and grow their passion for teaching and learning both inside and outside of the classroom.

“It’s a great opportunity to be able to share Marilyn’s story and give current students the motivation to strive to be the type of learner and teacher that she was,” said Angela Donalson.

Scholarships uplift and reward future educators. To learn more about establishing a scholarship within the College of Education, contact Director of Development Wilma Bates at (309) 438-4304 or wbates@IllinoisState.edu.